http://www.ei-resource.org/ 3346-441 http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-%11-therapeutic-devices/light-therapy/travelite-10000-lux-sad-light-therapy-light-box/ In recent years I have begun feeling sluggish, lazy, unmotivated and generally depressed during the fall and winter months. I live in New England so it gets pretty dark up here. I had tried a different lightbox as my wife's friend suffers from SAD. I found it helped quite a lot and at least made me feel half human again. The problem is I travel around the North East on business trips a lot and that lightbox was just too big to haul around. As soon as I saw the Travelite in a store at the mall I had to buy it. Like the description above says, it really does fit in a briefcase! It's also cool that it can be wall mounted when I'm at home in my office. Not only that but it reduces my symptoms even more than the other model I tried. If you're looking for a compact, take anywhere lightbox that works, you just found it! ]]> Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:37:48 +0000 3347-435 http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-%11-therapeutic-devices/light-therapy/philips-golite-blu-light-therapy-device/ This is the first light therapy device I have bought to treat my SAD so I have nothing to compare it to but it seems to be helping me a lot. I bought it back in September and have been using it for 45 minutes every morning. By this time of year I would usually be feeling quite severe depression but so far so good. I couldn't be happier I bought this product as I haven't felt this happy during Thanksgiving week for some years now! Happy Holidays! ]]> Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:55:14 +0000 3284-421 http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-%11-therapeutic-devices/light-therapy/bodyclock-advanced-200-dawn-simulator-(lumie)/ Last year I bought the Desklamp Sad Light made by Lumie which has really helped me a lot with my SAD symptoms. I was so impressed that I thought this year why not get a dawn simulator as well and as the Desklamp has been so good I went for this Lumie model. This is the first dawn simulator I have owned and it is such a nicer experience than waking up to a loud alarm in the dark! The simulator gently wakes me up with increasing brightness of light which immediately makes me feel brighter in the mornings. It certainly wouldn't treat my SAD (which is quite severe) by itself but it has been a great addition to ther Desklamp which I use in the mornings at work. I have no complaints about ease of use or quality of this product, my only gripe is the price. You get much more symptom relief for your money from a SAD light box but if you can afford it this dawn simulator would be a great addition to your SAD treatment. ]]> Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:15:19 +0000 3315-420 http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-%11-therapeutic-devices/light-therapy/desklamp-sad-light-(lumie)/ I have used this lamp all last winter and since the start of september this year for my SAD and found it really helps with my symptoms. I work for a small company and have my own desk in the corner of the room so nobody minds me using this lamp for an hour during the morning. It really helps elevate my mood and give me the the energy and motivation needed to get through the working day that are otherwise missing! The desklamp is just the right size to use where a full-size light box would be an impossibility and it provides the all important 10000 lux of light needed to treat SAD so it's perfect. The quality of the materials seems good and I haven't had any problems with reliability so far. In fact I have been so impressed that I bought another Lumie product - the Bodyclock Sunray 100 - which I have also been impressed with. I have used the two products in combination over the past couple of months and never felt better as the nights draw in. I no longer need to fear the winter! ]]> Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:00:15 +0000 2205-415 http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-%11-therapeutic-devices/light-therapy/10,000-lux-lightbox-(androv-medical)/ I bought one of these light boxes through this in november last year and am so glad I did. It really turned things around for me. I had been feeling depressed, tired and sleepy for a few years but only went to my GP about it last year and was diagnosed with SAD. My GP said bright light therapy was the best therapy so I went out and bought this box as it was 10,000lux as recommended by GP but also a lot cheaper than most comparable models. I got mine for £99 but I have just noticed it is now even cheaper at £79. A real bargain! I work from home as a freelance translator and this box allows you to hang it on the wall so I did so next to my desk, which is great! I do 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes mid afternoon and find this really helps to keep my mood and motivation up (previously my work was really suffering in winter). I have found any more than this stimulates me too much so that I can't sleep so I stick to this routine. This year I started using the light box early - at the start of september and haven't had any symptoms apart from the odd dip on very dark and rainy days here in Manchester! I've had no problems with reliability and such with this light box despite its bargain basement price so can't recommend it highly enough. ]]> Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:03:25 +0100 3254-404 http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-%11-therapeutic-devices/light-therapy/dawnlite-natural-alarm-clock/ I have suffered badly from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) for around 10 years as a secondary illness to chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Over the years I have found many effective ways to combat SAD and help me through the winter months and the Dawnlite Natural Alarm Clock is one of these. For those suffering from SAD others include - bright light therapy, vitamin D3 supplements, negative air ionization....and simply getting out in the available sun as much as possible. Back to the Dawnlite. It has a great range of features including the ability to set the length of time it takes the light to reach maximum intensity, which is certainly sufficiently bright enough to wake most people. I prefer to use the longest duration setting of 90 minutes for dawn simulation. I find myself starting to come around at about 60 minutes into this cycle. This dawn simulator lamp also works well as a bedside clock with an easily readable display and also as a bedside lamp. The inclusion of a battery backup facility is excellent and sets this apart as a quality product. The Dawnlite looks slightly unusual with its bulbous "lamp on a stalk" design but won't look too out of place in most modern bedrooms. It's unlikely that any dawn simulator will cure full-blown SAD alone but as part of a broader treatment program they can certainly help and I'd rate this model highly. For those with milder forms of "winter blues" it may be just the thing to help you get out of bed during the dark winter mornings. ]]> Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:03:01 +0100 2196-371 http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-%11-therapeutic-devices/light-therapy/ioniser-full-sprectrum-bulb-(androv-medical)/ I have suffered badly from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) as part of my long battle with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Over the years I have found many things which have helped me maintain my mood during the winter months and avoid slipping into the dispair of deep depression. A few things that have helped have included waking up as early as possible and getting outdoors when I can to maximise my natural light exposure, high dose vitamin D3, and using a 10,000 lux lightbox. These ioniser full spectrum light bulbs from Androv Medical have also contributed to my well-being during winter, and also I believe throughout the year. The bulbs are now available up to 32W which is equivalent to a 140-150W incandescent bulb. The bright white light really gives me a psychological boost, improving my mood, so I leave them on in my flat/apartment throughout the day during winter. Although studies show lightboxes with a rating of at least 2500lux are required to produce clinical benefits in SAD I find using these bulbs as well definitely helps as it fools me into thinking it is summer since the light is so natural looking. The negative ions produced by the bulbs have been shown to have numerous health benefits, not least improving mood in SAD and depression. Recent research has also shown they also improve immune function, boosting natural killer (NK) cell activity (Takahashi et al 2009). This could explain year round benefits from these bulbs given that low NK cell function has long been associated with CFS. The bulbs are just like any regular compact fluorescent bulb in fitting and operation and of course last much longer than traditional incandescent bulbs. Given this and their much lower Wattages the extra initial cost is easily offset over their lifetime and you get to enjoy the health benefits and natural looking light! ]]> Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:48:27 +0100